1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an optical film assembly and more particularly to a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus including the optical film assembly.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
LCD apparatuses are well known devices that are commonly used for displaying images. As display devices become more frequently integrated into portable and mobile devices, their power consumption level and size are becoming increasingly important.
Currently, there are three general types of LCD apparatuses: transmissive-type, reflective-type, and transflective type.
Since LCD itself does not generate light, a conventional transmissive-type LCD apparatus displays images by using a backlight assembly that is built into the apparatus. While the backlight assembly supplies the LCD with a constant level of light, it has the downside of dramatically increasing the apparatus' power consumption. Furthermore, the backlight assembly draws power from an additional battery, and the battery undesirably increases the size and weight of the apparatus. Currently, most transmissive-type LCD apparatuses require at least a 4 V power supply.
The reflective-type LCD apparatuses may be a lower power alternative to the transmissive-type LCD apparatus. The reflective-type LCD apparatuses consume less power because they display images by using ambient light, and therefore do not include a backlight assembly. However, the reflective-type LCD apparatuses suffer from a different downside. Since their image brightness level depends on the ambient light level, they do not offer a consistent display quality. In a dark environment, for example, the display quality may be poor due to insufficient light. Currently, the reflective-type LCD apparatuses require at least a 3.3 V power supply for providing power to the electronics supplying the signal to the LCD.
A transflective LCD apparatus, which has elements from both the reflective and the transmissive LCD apparatuses, shows a consistently good display quality and consumes less power than the transmissive LCD apparatus. However, a transflective LCD apparatus still requires at least a 4 V power supply.
FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional LCD apparatus. This Figure applies to all three types of LCD apparatuses described above.